She sucked in a breath, the first one she could take without gagging and peeked at the girl hovering over her. She reached out a hand and touched the black girl’s arm. Warm silky skin met her fingers. She glanced at the maid’s face and pinched her hard.
“Ow, Miss.” She stepped back and rubbed the sore spot, a hurt look in her warm chocolate eyes. “That not nice. Why you do that for? What I ever done wrong to you?”
Billie blinked back a tear and held out her own arm. “Do it to me.”
Primrose tilted her head. “Not right. Get me in trouble I will, going hurting you like that.”
She lifted herself up on her elbows and pushed her arm forward again. “Do it.”
Dark fingers snaked out and short nails bit into her skin, making her flinch in response. She wasn’t dreaming. “Thank you.” She dropped back on the pillows, lifted a hand over her forehead dragging in several long steadying breaths.
“Why you do that, Miss?” Her maid shuffled her feet, rubbing her arm as if that would make it all go away.
If it was only that simple. She didn’t understand what was going on and why. Time would tell, it usually did. She dropped her hand and sighed, looking up at the ornate ceiling above her bed. No signs of damage or disrepair. She would go and have a look at the rest of the house, the sitting room in particular, but it would seem her mind had really done a good job this time. How was that even possible for it to be so real?
The bedroom door burst open and a young woman flew into the room, panic on her face. Something about the shape of her eyes, the bow of her top lip rang bells in Billie’s head. She seemed familiar and yet she couldn’t place her.
“Wilz, what happened? Cook said you’d had a funny turn and were out of sorts.” She hurried over to them and brushed past Primrose, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in hers.
“Oh, darling sister. Whatever is it? Tell Gertie, there’s a love. Let me look after you. I’ll play the big sister for a change. You rest up now until the doctor gets here.” She spoke to the hovering maid. “Primrose, stop dithering and go make tea for Wilz. Poor thing is a mess.” The maid hurried from the room and Gertrude spun around and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Oh, darling, whatever is the matter?” She leaned over her, a gentle look of concern on her youthful face.
“I-I-I shouldn’t be here.” She should be at home. She didn’t ask for this.
“But, darling Wilz, where should you be? Out on the estate with Papa? Surely you weren’t meant to be in Sydney this week from what I remember. Isn’t that another three weeks away?” Gertrude smoothed a hand across Billie’s brow. “I wanted to talk to you about that too. I know this might not be the right time or place though.”
“It’s okay, tell me.” She sniffed. Let her talk and she might be able to figure out what the hell was going on.
“Well, you know how Papa thinks I should stay at home, not venture too far from the estate? You know I want to join the Red Cross desperately, and I have the signed papers that cousin Ernest gave you to return to me. You were such a treasure convincing him to do that for me.” She smiled and sucked in a breath as though plucking up the courage to give light to her words. “I want to go with you to Sydney and join up when you go next time. I can’t wait until my birthday, I just can’t.” She rushed forward with her words. “You know I’ll be a great nurse, Wilz.”
“You will, I’m sure of it.” What else could she say?
“So I can come with you, then? You don’t mind because Papa is going to have a fit when you come home without me?” Gertrude clapped her hands together and squealed in excitement. “I knew I could count on you, darling sister.”
A tap at the door interrupted them. Primrose came in with a man in a badly cut brown suit carrying a battered Gladstone bag. “The doctor is here, Miss Wilhelmina.”
“I don’t need a doctor.” She sat up, brushed away Gertrude’s hand in a panic.
“But, Wilz, you’ve had a nasty fall and this kind of thing has been going on for some time. Your turns have been getting worse lately, you know they have. Don’t you think you need to get it sorted out before you really hurt yourself? Perhaps go back to the hospital for another bout of treatment or at least let the doctor change the dose of your tablets?” She reached out her hand and picked up a box from the nightstand as Billie threw back the blanket.
“No.” Fear clutched at her gut as the thought of being drugged became a reality. “I don’t need a doctor or the hospital. I need peace and quiet.” She slid to her feet on the other side of the bed and stood there with the bed between them, arms across her chest as the man approached, a consolatory smile on his face. Somehow she had a recollection of mistreatment under the orders of the man approaching her.
“Miss Wallace, if you would be so kind as to get back on the bed, I’d like to check your pulse and reflexes. We don’t want any repercussions after your fall, now do we? I know how much you dislike the electro therapy treatment,
